This chapter serves as a compendium of knowledge about the world in The Wandering Fairy. Information in this chapter will be gradually updated as more of the story is revealed.
[As such, I must warn anyone new to the series from reading further as it will contain spoilers.]
A higher dimension, one that is stacked above the natural world mortals live in. The Beyond exists as another layer to the world—one that governs the metaphysical rather than the physical. Everything in the physical world has its own unique representation within the Beyond, except, these representations are all metaphysical and are nothing more than placeholders that the Beyond has imagined. Nothing that exists in the physical world won’t have a representation in the Beyond.
Runes that were made to represent the inner workings of the Beyond. Magi utilize them to create complex spellforms in their magecrafts—also known as Scripted Runic. There is no pattern to the language, so anima is needed to will meaning into them.
A higher dimensional form of material runes that represent abstract ideas. While Material Runes represent physical things in the world as seen in the Beyond, Abstract Runes represent ideas powered by the collective subconscious of all beings that live in a plane of existence/world. They can be harnessed to forge Soul Weapons.
A magical item or object that is able to manifest Mysteries onto the world. Soul Weapons cannot be forged without the purposeful manipulation of an Abstract Rune. There are five classes of Soul Weapons: Abstract, Object, Summon, Elemental, and Augment. Each has its own specific advantages and disadvantages.
A person who has established a connection to an Abstract Rune and forged their own Soul Weapon out of it. Because of the very nature of the Mysteries they can cast onto the world, they must remain elusive and secretive. Their impact on the world must remain in the shadows, as Phantasms.
Phantasm Types: There are three different kinds of Phantasms.
- Vagrant: Those who have merged unceremoniously with an Abstract Rune. Are seen as criminals or heretics by most Orthodox Religions. This is because Vagrants have a high possibility of having their Soul Weapons turn on them, turning into corrupted monsters who’s only goals are carnage and destruction to spread the influence of the abstract rune they used to weild.
- Holy: Those who have received a blessing from a God or Goddess and have been granted the honor of wielding a Soul Weapon. They are seen as honored clergymen and clergywomen who uphold the will of their patron divinity. Unlike Vagrants, they do not suffer from having to worry about losing control of their Soul Weapons.
- Unknown: Hasn’t been revealed yet.
Sacred Treasures are ancient Soul Weapons that for some reason, remained in existence even after the death of their owner. The Abstract Rune that powers the existence of that Soul Weapon takes full ownership of the host and gains a pseudo-form of intellect of their own. (Does not apply to Summon types who come with intelligence from the start).
Sacred Treasures can also be formed when the corruption of a Vagrant takes over completely. When this happens, the body of the Vagrant Phantasm becomes in control of the Abstract Rune, and it uses it to inflict damage and chaos upon the world to increase their influence. But sometimes, these Abstract Runes will decide to abandon this control and become Sacred Treasures on their own.
A person who wants to wield a Sacred Treasure must sign a contract with the Abstract Rune powering it. And unlike Phantasms who forged their own Soul Weapon, a Sacred Treasure doesn’t have the ability to grow in power, as the influence one draws all directly goes to the Abstract Rune through the powers of the contract.
At the same time, a Sacred Treasure user is not limited to just one Sacred Treasure. As long as you are able to find more and sign the appropriate contract, there is no issue with owning more than one.
Willpower personified. An energy that comes from one’s own willpower. It is used in the powering of magecraft spells. It can only be created by a person’s own Inner Will or True Self and permeates a person’s Soul Realm/Soul Frame.
The willpower of an entire world put together. It is also called the Energy of the Collective Subconscious and it resides within the Beyond. It is used in the powering of Mysteries generated by the abilities granted to Phantasms through their Soul Weapons.
Those with the ability to manifest a Soul Realm and utilize magecraft inside it. They are ranked by the number of circles in their spellforms they can cast. Each magi has his or her own affinity that allows them to cast specific types of magecraft.
A person’s own anima manifesting itself as a zone around the person. This is the hallmark of a person who has become a magus. Magecraft spells can be cast within this spiritual zone.
The Three Layers of Self: The inner consciousness of what makes a person.
- Veil of Perception: The outermost layer. It represents the person’s senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, time, and instinct). The layer will manifest as a void that gradually shifts into countless new experiences and perceptions.
- Echo of Mind: The middle layer. It represents a person’s rationality and thoughts. Anything a person thinks of or has thought of, will manifest itself within this realm, either as an echo or a storm of echoes that gradually grind against a person’s sanity.
- Heart’s Shroud: The deepest layer. It represents a person’s emotional state as well as their memories. The layer will manifest itself as a murky white fog that a person must swim through. Illusions within the fog will manifest that will create emotional reactions within a person. Any reaction will cause the fog to weigh more, adding pressure to the person. Deep below the Heart’s Shroud is a person’s True Self. This is usually represented as an item that holds immense value to the person’s existence or purpose.
Observing your True Self for the first time will grant you the ability to expand the Three Layers of Self outside your body using your anima, allowing you to manifest a Soul Realm and control it.
Inherent Ability: These are abilities unique to a person’s Soul Realm that manifest from a person’s True Self.
Affinities: The color of one’s anima. An affinity is the compatibility or resonance that a Magi/Sentinel has with a certain kind of magecraft. Magi cannot cast magecraft that contain Material Runes not within their own affinity. They can be unlocked after a person discovers the different ‘shades’ of self that hide within their Three Layers.
The use of Scripted Runic to manifest certain phenomena unnaturally in the world. A combination of Scripted Runic’s Material Runes together form certain axioms that when combined together, form complex Spellforms. These Spellforms can then be compiled into grimoires for magi to use. Additionally, there are certain Material Runes called “Material Runes of Reason” that act as the glue that connects different segments of a spellform to each other.
Magecraft can only exist within the confines of a Soul Realm. Magi must have the skill to manipulate the shape of their Soul Realm to allow for their magecraft spells to move in the way they intend them to.
Because Material Runes do not have a pattern to their existence, finding compatible ones with certain affinities becomes a daunting task for most Magi. Divination and Runology are the tools magi use to discover new Material Runes for their research.
Divination needs three things to function—a medium, a conduit, and a user.
Medium: An item or tool that simulates chaos in certain ways. From that chaos, hidden meanings are interpreted. A good medium needs to have a close connection to the user. The more familiar the item is to that person, the better the interpretations become.
Conduits: A source of answers. A conduit is needed so that the person can connect the medium to something that provides those answers. The most common conduits are the deities themselves as well as The Records of Enigma, an ancient tablet that records the runes of all magi that connect to it. (Kind of like a central database).
Divinations can have interference if the person loses focus or their anima is messed with during the process.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
A compressed form of a Soul Realm that takes the shape of one’s body. Soul Frames allow a person to take control of their anima in a much more personal matter. Rather than using your will to exert its influence through the use of Material Runes, they instead utilize Soul Manuals that create different techniques for manipulating the raw anima itself.
A Soul Frame can only be formed after one contemplates and discovers the Fourth Layer of Self. It represents a person’s bodily experiences, such as sickness, anatomy, and instincts.
Those who have reforged their Soul Realm into a Soul Frame are called Sentinels. They are able to wield their raw anima and its associated affinities in a more instinctual manner. Soul Manuals teach different techniques of manipulating these forces.
A person who chooses to become a Sentinel loses the ability to cast magecraft forever. This is because a Soul Frame cannot be reforged back into a Soul Realm—once the decision is made, it cannot be taken back. This is called the Divergent Paths of Mystery.
Sentinels can also coat their weapons in their anima.
Phenomena created with the powers of a Soul Weapon. They use Astral Anima as fuel. The phenomena created does not need to exist in the confines of a Soul Realm—it can be manifested anywhere inside a world, as long as the Beyond exists. The abilities that manifest from a Mystery are tied intrinsically to the Abstract Rune the Phantasm wields. Therefore, a Mystery is the Abstract Rune’s way of exerting its influence upon the world.
The Law of Mirrored Influence: For every amount of influence exerted on the natural world through Mysteries, the same amount of influence is reflected into The Beyond.
Abstract Runes grow by manifesting Mysteries in the world. The more Mysteries they create, the more influence they exert into the world that gets reflected back into the Beyond. That influence in the Beyond is reflected inside the Astral Anima itself—the willpower of the collective subconscious will start to regard the ideas of that Abstract Rune more favorably as its influence grows, giving it more rune fragments.
Runes of such power, that entire civilizations and gods fight over their existence. Each forgotten rune seems to hold the power to manifest their own energy or domain. Forgotten Runes can also exist in fragments, somewhat similarly to Abstract Runes, but the differences between these two systems is unknown.
There isn’t much known about them, but only 2 have been named so far.
Spirit Blossom Willow: A strange tree that grew during/after Yasini’s Demise. It resides within the borders of the Feylith Forest. The roots of the tree connect to every other lifeform in the forest—something the Yadrians like to call the ‘Dragon Vein.’ A strange energy seems to permeate across these roots which is called ‘Aether’.
Aether seems to be an entirely different source of power compared to anima, but not much is known about it.
The Faerie Court: A strange space that exists outside the authority of the Rift. Creative control over the space is under the authority of Soren Andersen. Portals to other worlds exist there that can only function through the use of Anchors, which are markings placed on certain individuals through a contract.
[Fictionalization] is an ability granted only inside the mysterious space that allows Soren to manifest anything within his imagination/knowledge into reality. The more knowledge he has on the object, the more realistic its manifestation becomes.
Fate in this universe follows the definition of the ‘Three Orbits.’ These are the three types of Fate Stars that symbolize fate.
Epoch Star: The star that represents the individual. Each lifeform in the universe has its own Epoch Star, which represents its life’s destiny. It has a connection to a person’s soul.
World Star: The star that represents a given planet. The inhabitants of said planet will have their Epoch Stars orbiting around this World Star. The World Star represents the fate of an entire world, in relation to the universe. It has a connection to the Beyond.
Celestial Star: The star that represents a given realm/dimension/universe. The planets and worlds of said realm will have their World Stars orbiting around this Celestial Star. All Celestial Stars orbit around one another and form distinct and mysterious interactions.
Fate can be controlled somehow, but not even the Gods of Yarian were able to do so successfully.
Soren Andersen theorized that each Fate Star has its own ‘gravity’ or attraction force that forms these interactions between the fates of people. If one could distort or mess with this external force, then they might be able to twist the trajectory of fate, in the same way one would mess up the orbits of planets if another celestial body is introduced to a star system.
Spirits are strange entities that hold no physical body and are able to roam freely within the Beyond. In Yarian, they are categorized into two types—Demons and Fae.
Fae spirits are more playful, but tend to fool people into dangerous situations with their contracts.
Demon spirits are more cunning, and tend to play on people’s insecurities to get them into unfavorable contracts.
Some magi specialize in dealing with spirit contracts, as any loose interpretation in the wording could leave a dangerous loophole for the spirit to exploit. Nevertheless, Yadria, the city of the elves, utilizes the power of the spirits in creating ‘Living Hexes’, which are entities inhabited by spirits.
Yarian is a world governed by Fantasia. A world of pure fantasy, according to Mr. Unknown.
In the south, the Feylith Forest reigns supreme. With the Spirit Blossom Willow’s roots reaching out to every corner of the forest, every part of it is a single living organism that can respond to the anima of other lifeforms. It is home to Yadria, the city of the elves, as well as the H’aavast Tribes.
South of the Feylith Forest is the Endless Sea where strange sightings of Vynasian Rift-crossings are a common occurrence.
East of the Feylith Forest is the Eclipse Moor, a large desert that’s said to be lawless. It is also home to the Aretores (Giants).
North of the Feylith Forest is the Aelloran Kingdom. Governed by two Royal Families—Aetolus and Paeon. Their capital is known as Celestine Citadel, and it sits on top of a mountain that overlooks the Avalon Ruins to the west. The Avalon Ruins is also a dungeon/labyrinth which runs deep into the mountain.
Aellora is home to two Orthodox Churches—Church of Nature and the Church of Brilliance. The Church of Nature preaches the belief in being closer to earth and that humanity exists in service of the world. These are the principles that their deity, the Greenfather, lives by. The Church of Brilliance believes in individualism and the idea that one can be closer to God through material success. Their deity, the Gold-Giver, is seen as an arbiter who acts as a divine witness to contracts and other dealings. The Aetolus family has close ties to the Church of Nature, while the Paeon family has close ties to the Church of Brilliance.
The Staterra Kingdom is north of the Aelloran Kingdom and is hostile to them. They believe they have a claim over the Avalon Ruins which leads to clashes and skirmishes between the two nations. The kingdom is also home to the SIlver Moon Church, which worships the Mother of Silver.
Up to the north of Staterra is Mount Tolarion where the Witches of Star Fate used to reside. And to the east is the Selkie Federation, which is home to the famed academy of magi, Luvinica.
Earth is a world with modern technology and an advanced society. Magic and the supernatural is seen as nothing more than superstitious belief or stories one would tell a child. However, beneath this facade of advancement, a secret society of mages and other shady organizations exist.
The most prominent one—the Human Preservation Project (HPP). They have branches across the continental United States and presumably, are active in other nations as well. They’re goal is the eradication or capture of IREs (Irregular Runic Entities). These are strange ‘things’ that go against common sense.
IREs come in 5 types.
- Safe (Sigma): IREs that have been captured or secured.
- Unstable (Upsilon): IREs that are actively being hunted but with clear indications of known behavior.
- Anomalous (Alpha): IREs that are hard to capture or illusive due to unpredictable behavior.
- Warden (Omega): IREs that are helpful to the organization and their tasks.
- Pandaemonium (Psi): IREs that are disastrous and could bring about a calamity.
There are other organizations active on Earth with unknown motives.
Status
Name: Soren Andersen
Race: ???
Age: 23
Vocation: Scribe
Magi Rank: Apprentice (No Circles)
Magi Affinities: Mesmerism
Soul Realm: The Hermit’s Eye (Unique) (Nascent Stage)
Soul Weapon: The Records (Unique) (Tier 1 - Tome)
Skills:
[Record] (Rank 1) - Chronicle the information around you.
[Eyes of the Fairy] (Rank 1) - See the unseen.
[The Faerie Court] (Rank 1) - Enter the realm of realms.
Blessings:
[Traveler] (Unknown) - You have embarked on a journey across space and time. Echoes of the rift will no longer shatter your sanity.
Rune Collection:
[Fairy Witness] (4 Insight) - ???
Status
Name: Julie-Anne Kafka
Race: Human
Age: 21
Vocation: Ensnarer
Soul Weapon: Arach-Koth (Unique) (Tier 1)
Class Type: Summon
Skills:
[Ensnare] (Rank 1) - Create spirit webs that can trap spiritual entities.
[Arachnid Wisdom] (Rank 1) - Obtain the heightened senses and capabilities of a spider.
Rune Collection: Web of Dominion
Status
Name: Tazzith
Race: Knowledge Demon
Age: 10,000+
Spirit Body: Blood of Taboo Wisdom (Unique) (Tier Unknown)
Affinities: Knowledge Granting, Affliction, Wards, Mimicry, All-Seeing
Skills: ???
Titles: ???
Rune Collection: ???